Learning to Re-Breathe 101

Pulmonary Rehabilitation: Day One

Last week, I completed my pulmonary rehabilitation assessment. My plan is to attend twice weekly for six weeks, followed by a reevaluation to determine whether I'll continue once or twice a week.

Today was day one of learning how to properly breathe again, especially how to coordinate my breathing with movement and exertion.

Yes, this is a thing!

Breathing is largely an automatic function. Our bodies do it without us having to think about it. But when you've lived with chronic lung disease and recently undergone lung surgery, something so natural can suddenly require a little more attention.

We began with my incentive spirometer, and this turned into an unexpected teaching moment.

I've used this device on and off for years, yet I realized I had never been properly taught how to use it. So today, I had to take a step back and begin again.

As a nurse, this was a reminder of just how important patient education is. We sometimes assume patients understand instructions simply because they've used a device before. But that's not always the case.

Small Movements, Big Effort

My first exercise involved crossing my arms over my chest and repeatedly sitting and standing from a chair for 10 minutes.

From there, we progressed to elevated hamstring stretches, 15 minutes of pedaling, and exercises using three-pound hand weights.

This may sound simple to some, but when you've struggled with breathing and endurance, this is exercise!

Throughout the session, my shortness of breath ranged from mild to moderate on the Modified Dyspnea Scale. My heart rate remained elevated, but thankfully, my oxygen saturation stayed between 96–97%.

It was a reminder that even when oxygen levels look good, the effort of breathing and rebuilding endurance can still be challenging.

The Work Begins

We finished our first session with an encouraging pep talk from my physical therapist and, of course, homework!

I'm realizing that recovery involves much more than allowing surgical incisions to heal. It's also about rebuilding strength, improving endurance, and learning to trust my body again.

And now it's time to do the work.

I'm all in.

I want to regain my energy, improve my breathing, and once again participate in the activities I've always enjoyed.

It won't happen overnight, and I'm sure there will be challenging days ahead. But today was a beginning.

One breath. One movement. One day at a time.